Cyndi Lauper picture end biography

Source: britannica.com

Cyndi Lauper, byname of Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper (born June 22, 1953, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.), American singer, songwriter, and actress whose flamboyant style and catchy songs, most notably “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” (1983), helped make her a pop icon.

Lauper grew up in Queens, New York. An indifferent student, she eventually dropped out of high school, and for the next several years, she worked at a number of assorted jobs and sang popular songs in nightclubs. After she suffered an injury to her vocal chords in 1977, 

she began to study under a vocal coach. That same year she and fellow musician John Turi formed the rockabilly band Blue Angel, and for the first time, Lauper publicly performed songs that she had had a hand in writing. Critics praised Lauper’s piercing and multihued 

vocals, and the band won a recording contract and released an eponymous album in 1980 on the Polydor label. Commercial success eluded them, however, and in 1982 Blue Angel was dissolved.

Lauper’s distinctive voice and charmingly quirky persona helped her to quickly rebound, and in 1983 her first solo album, She’s So Unusual, was released on the CBS imprint Portrait Records. 

It included the effervescent single “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” the popularity of which was enhanced by its supporting video, which became an MTV favourite. The chart-topping 

album spawned other hit singles, among them the ballad “Time After Time.” At the 1984 Grammy Awards, She’s So Unusual was a nominee for album of the year, and Lauper won the award for best new artist.

Lauper, Cyndi [Credit: PRNewsFoto/Pampers/AP Images]Although subsequent albums, including True Colors (1986) and Hat Full of Stars (1993), failed to ignite the charts, Lauper remained an enduring pop icon and appeared regularly on television variety programs and 

talk shows. She also took guest roles on television, notably on several episodes of the 1990s sitcom Mad About You—which garnered her an Emmy in 1991—and in episodes (2009–13) of the crime show Bones.

In 2013 Lauper wrote the score for the Broadway play Kinky Boots, which was based on a 2005 British movie of the same name. It tells the story of a man who inherits his father’s shoe factory as it is on the brink of going out of business but finds salvation for the business 

and a new worldview when he is approached by a drag queen cabaret performer in need of shoes. The play, which featured a book by Harvey Fierstein, was a huge success, and 

Lauper won a Tony Award for best original score, becoming the first solo woman to win the prize. The play won five other Tonys, including the award for best musical. In 2015 Lauper was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Lauper was a vocal advocate for the rights of gay, lesbian, and transgender people. In 2008 she cofounded the True Colors Fund, which supported those communities.

Fonte: rockol.it

Cyndi Lauper (Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper) nasce il 22 Giugno 1953 a Ozone Park, Queens. All'età di 12 anni inizia a suonare la chitarra e a scrivere le prime canzoni. Abbandona le scuole superiori e inizia a viaggiare, soprattutto per il Canada, ritornando poi a New York.

Nella metà degli anni '70 la Lauper fa parte di molte cover band, cantando canzoni degli Jefferson Airplane, Led Zeppelin, Bad Company. Nel 1978 crea una sua band, i Blue Angel. 

Nel 1980, realizzano il loro primo album, omonimo, ma poco dopo la band si scioglie. Lauper, a corto di denaro, inizia a lavorare come commessa, continuando comunque a coltivare la propria passione e a scrivere canzoni.

Nel 1981, mentre canta in un locale newyorkese, incontra David Wolff, che diventa suo manager e le procura un contratto con la Portrait Records.

Nel dicembre 1983 esce SHE’S SO UNUSUAL, che diventa subito un successo internazionale; da questo viene estratto la poi famosissima “Girls just want to have fun”.

Nel 1985 vince un Grammy Award per Best New Artist e SHE’S SO UNUSUAL riceve una nomination per Album of the Year.

Nel 1986 pubblica il suo secondo album: TRUE COLORS, al quale collaborano Nile Rodgers, Aimee Mann, Billy Joel e The Bangles. Anche se l'album non ottiene il successo del precedente ha comunque diversi successi, tra cui “Change of heart” e una cover di Marvin Gaye: “What's Going On”.

Dopo qualche esperienza cinematografica, nel 1989 Cindy pubblica il terzo album A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, accolto bene dalla critica ma meno dal pubblico. Il lavoro successivo è del 

1993: HAT FULL OF STARS. Nel 1995 è la volta del primo greatest hits TWELVE DEADLY CYNS… AND THEN, a cui fa seguito – un anno dopo – SISTERS OF AVALON.

Nel 2001 scrive SHINE, un disco con sonorità pop rock che esce prima solo per il mercato giapponese in via promozionale a causa della bancarotta della casa discografica Edel. Cindy si prende i diritti legati al disco e riesce a farlo uscire con un ritardo di tre anni nel 

2004. Compone poi le musiche nel film “Terror island” (2002) inserendo anche una sua canzone “Water's edge”.

Nel 2003 pubblica con la Epic AT LAST dove reinterpreta brani classici degli anni '40, '50 e '

60. Nel 2005 in THE BODY ACOUSTIC – che vede la partecipazione di molti musicisti tra cui Shaggy, Ani DiFranco, Adam Lazzara, Jeff Beck, Puffy AmiYumi e Sarah McLachlan - 

reinterpreta in chiave acustica alcuni dei suoi classici.

Nel 2006 debutta anche a Broadway nel rifacimento di “The threepenny opera”. L’anno successivo organizza il “True colors tour” che tocca molte città americane a favore delle persone omosessuali.

BRING YA TO THE BRINK esce il 27 maggio 2008, mentre il nuovo album, MEMPHIS BLUES, viene realizzato a giugno 2010, seguito nel 2011 da un album dal vivo, FROM MEMPHIS WITH LOVE: entrambi dischi dedicati al vecchio amore della cantante, il blues.